There are many wonderful learning environments
that technology tools can assist us in generating.....There are also some things
technology can magnify which are
not desirable.Lee Steinberg, Troy
Aikman's agent, has been quoted in the Dallas Morning News this past year as having
stated...
"I am
increasingly disturbed by what I see in young people today.... specifically because of
their:
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incessant
demands for instant gratification |
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appalling
lack of impulse control |
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pervasive
coarseness characterized by MTV-driven life styles |
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short
attention spans |
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need
to be super-charged by high sensory stimulation & addictions |
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self-absorption
which makes it impossible for so many in this generation to contemplate in silence |
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inability
to place themselves into another person's realities |
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lack
of patience to live with the natural ebb-and-flow processes in life." |
DON'T use:
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Technologies designed for the very BASIC mastery levels which are
"super-charged" REFLEX-based rather than REFLECTION-based. |
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Stick
a computer screen in each child's face for one-on-one computer time that isolates students
with meaningless reflex-based tasks. |
DO move your
students TOWARD more:
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REFLECTION-based,
project-based, collaborative use of technology |
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Place
several students at one computer to negotiate, collaborate, communicate, and deliberate
creatively through the following research-based process
- Research,
Collect, & Verify Information
- Organize,
Eliminate, & Prioritize Information
- Categorize and
Summarize major issues
- Delineate &
Develop a Reporting Agenda
- Collaborate &
Negotiate through a Presentation Process
- Design &
Deliver Meaningful Information
- Explain &
Defend Project.
|
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Do
Move students toward becoming Quality Producers vs.
Thoughtless Consumers. |
No one wants to
live next door to someone who has no impulse control or patience with others.
Schools should not foster instructional methods that develop these
characteristics.
Too often technologies are used
as a "reward" when class work is "finished". The very nature of this philosophy
defeats the purpose of using technology as a significant tool for student progress.
Technology
is not a "baby sitter".
Remember:
Wisdom is not inherently attained by youth. Wisdom is something that must be gained through
experience. The teacher / facilitator is responsible for nurturing wisdom with
experience.
The SCANS & Character Counts!
curricula are
wonderful resources
for building excellent student character and enhancing student progress.
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